Hugh Owens, an evangelical Christian, of Saskatchewan was found guilty of violating the "rights" of homosexuals after he took out an advertisement in the Saskatoon Star-Phoenix newspaper that simply quoted Bible verses condemning homosexuality, and included an illustration of two stick-figure men holding hands with a slash drawn through them. Owens is appealing that ruling as well.
Mayors in Hamilton and London, Ont. have been found guilty and penalized by human rights commissions after they refused to proclaim "gay pride days" in their cities.
February 02, 2005
Knights of Columbus' denial of wedding hall to lesbians watched closely in Canada
Canadian lesbians Deborah Chymyshyn and Tracey Smith found just the hall they wanted to rent for their 2003 wedding reception. It was managed by the Knights of Columbus, an organization they thought was the same as the Elks. Um, no. After the Knights, a conservative Catholic organization, figured out that the two were lesbians, it refunded their money, paid for a different reception hall and paid to have the women's invitations reprinted with the proper address. Not bad. The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal is still considering its response to the situation, which illustrates the fears some have about how a likely federal marriage law and religious freedom will intersect in Canada.